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President of the International Association of Women Runners, Bennett Cohen is a renowned coach for women over 40 and has helped women into their late 70s reach new personal bests.

Plagued by his own nagging injuries, Bennett conducted research on how to train smarter and use strength training. As a result, he was able to get back into full training incredibly quickly, as you’ll hear, and he has been able to remain virtually injury free since.

He explains in detail the reasons why older runners in general, and women specifically, have different injury risks and training needs than younger runners and he also discusses strategies to help master runners of any experience level.

He’s been an avid runner for almost 40 years and a coach for 16 years, and in this episode he shares his valuable insight on how to tailor our training depending on our age and gender. And don’t worry - if you’re a man or woman under the age of 40 - there’s plenty for you in this interview as well.

Questions Bennett is asked:

2:07 How did you first get into running?

7:27 How did you transition from becoming a runner to being a coach?

9:57 What prompted you to co-found theInternational Association of Women Runnersand what is its mission?

12:10 What sets women over 40 apart from younger women, or even men, regarding their training needs?

15:29 Do male master runners also have different needs than when they were younger?

17:17 How should older runners structure a week of training and entire race build ups for sufficient recovery?

22:13 Do you think older runners should be doing two full marathons per year?

24:46 Are there any particular injuries that older runners, especially women, are prone to?

26:01 What can runners do to prevent these injuries?

27:20 Why do you think there has been so little research on post-menopausal female runners and do you anticipate an increase in research in the future?

31:15 How can women make changes to their training, diet and lifestyle to mitigate the symptoms of menopause on their running?

33:51 How can women structure their training to be in sync with their symptoms or cycles?

35:34 How can insomnia sufferers get the rest the need for training and recovery?

39:26 How about for avoiding weight gain during, or post, menopause?

42:17 Is it true that running economy or one’s ability to use oxygen at a given pace decreases with age?

47:19 Do you have any tips for longevity in the sport? Anything younger female and male runners can do to set themselves up for success later on?

50:35 Do you have any advice for those over 40 just getting into running?

“My experience is that women runners over 40 are poorly served by generic running programs that neither age, nor gender, into account.”

“A marathon is twice the distance of a half-marathon in distance only. It’s not twice the effort, it’s not twice the focus; it’s more like 3-4 times the effort, the focus, the commitment and the sacrifice.”

“In North America the running movement is driven by women. There are far more women distance runners than male distance runners and there are more women masters runners still looking to improve and race their best.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Have you ever trained hard for a race, paid the entry and travel fees, only to have a bad experience because the race wasn’t what you expected?

Enter BibRave.

Tim Murphy and his wife Jessica are both avid runners who founded BibRave back in 2011 with the desire to separate the good races from the bad so runners wouldn’t have to take chances.

BibRave is an online running community that allows runners to research, recommend, and leave feedback on races.

This of course makes the website important to not only runners but to race coordinators and directors as well, and that’s why Tim and Jessica also help races improve and better promote themselves.

Whether you’re trying to figure out where to race next or maybe you’re thinking of conducting an event of your own, this episode’s for you.

And if you’re in the US (or you’ve raced in the US), be sure to nominate your favorite race for theBibRave 100- a definitive list of the best races in America. Voting ends August 20, 2017.

Questions Tim is asked:

3:11 How did you first get into running?

5:45 How did you like Chicago as your first marathon?

6:39 What led you and Jessica to start the company back in 2011 and what was your mission?

9:42 What does your day-to-day work look like at BibRave?

12:51 When will the BibRave 100 results be published?

14:59 How does the BibRave community function - can runners simply leave reviews and tell other runners a little about their own race day experience?

17:00 What are some of the biggest mistakes you’ve seen people make when organizing an event?

19:28 What are some social media trends and how can people in the running industry take advantage of these trends?

22:07 What does BibRave offer for smaller events with limited resources?

25:57 Is a new brand featured on each BibChat?

27:02 Can you share any tips you have on how people can use social media to build themselves a brand?

31:22 How can race directors start educating themselves about social media and engagement with runners?

35:00 What tips do you have for how people can choose an event that is conducive to their goals?

37:25 What’s next for you and BibRave?

Quotes by Tim:

“The mission was to create a better place to learn about races, to further enable runners to talk to one another about what races are doing well and to create a more informed running community.”

“We have some power users that it’s just incredible how many races people do on a monthly and even sometimes on a weekly basis, and then are super diligent about contributing those reviews to help other runners decide what races to run.”

“I’m really sympathetic to the things races can and can’t control.”

“It’s so important for races to be overly communicative with their runners. It’s almost as important as where the cones go and where everybody lines up.”

“I always like to start when I’m talking with event directors or event producers by distinguishing the difference between digital marketing and social media, or social media marketing and social media engagement.”

“In any brand exercise, the most important thing is clarity of vision and mission. So knowing who you want to be and what you want to be right from the get-go.”

“If you’re a race director and you have really enthusiastic people who are signing up for your race every year, talk to them.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

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Sleep, stress, and dehydration can all raise or lower heart rate on any given day, which makes heart rate training less accurate than we’d like.

That’s why co-founder and lead engineer of Stryd Jamie Williamson decided it was time for a change.

With his business partner Li Shang and a team of like-minded “sports nuts”, Jamie set out to create the world’s first wearable power meter for running.

Stryd understands how fast you can run and how long you can run by measuring energy output three dimensionally.

Its unique environmental sensors measure your movements - including forward and back, side to side, and up and down - to determine how fast, how far, and how efficiently you can run across any terrain.

And that’s not even the best part.

It collects this data at lab grade power to give you real-time, actionable target numbers that let you know how efficiently you’re running and make reaching your goals a whole lot simpler.

Listen in as Jamie discusses how Stryd works and why power is quickly replacing heart rate training.

Questions Jamie is asked:

2:57 What prompted you to start Stryd and how has the process been so far?

7:39 How did you become interested in producing technology for runners and cyclists to train more efficiently?

9:49 How does Stryd differ from other devices like GPS watches?

13:52 What is ‘power’ as a unit of measurement?

21:07 What are the inherent issues with training by heart rate and how is Stryd more accurate?

26:37 What exactly is ‘critical power’ and how does it relate to lactate threshold and/or VO2 max?

27:49 Can someone simply determine their critical power from a 10k race?

29:25 Are other tests for critical power available on your website?

30:31 How does Stryd help runners with running efficiency, form and injury prevention?

34:19 When you're testing for inefficiencies with Stryd, do you get real-time feedback?

36:25 How compatible is Stryd with other technology?

39:37 Will Stryd ever be able to measure environmental factors such as wind?

41:50 What else is Stryd focusing on right now?

Quotes by GUEST:

“We have report after report after report of personal bests that people were getting where they were up against the wall and this technology allowed them to identify weaknesses that they could work on.”

“Computing real-time pace is extremely difficult...When you’re in a car and you use your GPS, you can actually use it as a speedometer, but that’s just because the signal is so huge. You’re changing large amounts of position over short amounts of time because you’re going fast in a car, and it’s the opposite when running.”

“Power is useful because it’s the only independent, objective measure of running performance,. It’s not impacted by any other things.”

“You start the race with a full battery - that’s how much energy you have to spend in that race. Given the duration of the race, at the very end you want the battery to be empty. You don’t want it to be negative, you don’t want to leave some stuff on the course where you still have some energy to spare….You want to have nothing left at the end, and power is the way to do that.”

“I will say a lot of people do use heart rate as kind of a safety measure. They’ll look at ‘What is my max heart rate that I want to stick to today and I don’t want to go above?’, and they’ll use it in that way to make sure they’re not overdoing it.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Ultrarunner, coach, and best-selling author Jenny Hadfield began running to

lose weight, but, as many people do, she quickly fell in love with it.

However, one thing about the running world Jenny didn’t love was the formulaic, one-size-fits-all training plans that didn’t accommodate for busy lives.

She began working with runners to create training that fit their unique makeup as well as their schedules outside running. She works to make running more accessible, and she’s a large part of the reason the sport has seen such a boom over the last 20 years.

In this episode, Jenny shares her experiences and philosophies to show us that there is a more practical approach to training - not only with our busy schedules but also with our bodies.

Questions Jenny is asked:

3:30 How did you first get into running?

6:14 When you first started did you see yourself doing all these extreme distance races?

8:10 What have been some races that you feel were defining moments in your career?

10:02 What were some of the difficulties you encountered along the way and how did you overcome them?

12:30 How do you use your experiences to help the athletes that you currently coach?

15:14 How exactly did you get into coaching?

17:57 What is the F.L.O.W.-based training system?

27:48 How do you coach your female athletes to train in sync with their menstrual cycles?

31:59 Do you think there will be more research on post-menopausal athletic performance?

33:41 At what point would you advise a woman to consult a physician for irregularities?

39:36 What is your nutritional philosophy that you use with your athletes?

43:19 Which calorie trackers would you recommend?

46:09 Are athletes hurt more by the quality or quantity of their fueling choices?

47:24 What’s a good in-race Marathon refueling strategy?

49:43 What advice do you have for beginning runners?

51:24 Can you tell us more about the color-coding system for tracking training?

53:36 What’s next for your own running and for your company?

55:36 Are your running vacations open to just anyone?

Quotes by Jenny:

“Running was always delivered in a form of punishment in team sports, so my association with running was painful and I didn’t like it.”

“Every race that we train for and finish can be a pivotal moment; there’s always a learning lesson that’s involved.”

“I learned early on that a template program is not going to work for everyone.”

“I believe injuries are an opportunity for growth.”

“I really needed to use my education in terms of fitness and exercise science and apply all those principles to a runner’s life, and really it was a mortal’s life and they wanted to run.”

“But what I saw (when GPS watches came out) were runners going from tuning into their bodies, listening to your breath to looking at a number and defining whether it was a good run or a bad run or a fantastic race or a failure based on what they saw on that watch.”

“There’s such a negative stigma about menstrual cycles and it’s one of the most powerful tools we have as women and once we embrace it and understand it and work with it, you will feel better because you’re now giving your body what it’s asking for.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

He is a two-time Olympian, six-time U.S. champion, the 2013 World Championship silver medalist, and the fourth-fastest American of all time in the 800 with a time of 1:42.95.

He’s one of America’s best track athletes ever, and, at the age of 33, he’s retiring.

Well, at least from the track.

Nick’s passion for running and his relentless desire to do more has him turning his sights to a new, slightly different challenge: the marathon.

Nick will toe the line at the Honolulu Marathon this December 10th, 2017, and he admits that he’s going to have quite a few barriers to overcome in the months ahead (barriers many of our listeners know too well).

Listen in as Nick reflects back on his incredible career, discusses his objectives for both the Honolulu Marathon and his company Run Gum, and shares his insight on the art of setting goals and working towards them.

P.S. Make sure you enter theRunAloha Sweepstakesfor a chance to win an all-inclusive, 4-day trip to run with Nick Symmonds at the Honolulu Marathon!

Questions Nick is asked:

3:48 What would you say have been a couple of career defining moments for you in retrospect?

4:52 When you started running in High School, did you ever envision the career you had?

5:37 What about a low point and how did you get past that?

6:56 What led you to start Run Gum?

8:35 Had you been thinking about this type of product for a while before you started your own company?

10:15 How long does it take for Run Gum to deliver a caffeine peak?

11:28 What led you to decide to retire and has that decision been bittersweet?

12:48 Having retired from the track, but not from running, what made you choose to run a marathon?

14:45 What difficulties do you anticipate as you train for the marathon?

16:57 How have you used visualization in the past?

18:44 Can you tell us about the RunAloha Sweepstakes?

19:40 Can you tell us a little more about Run Gum?

23:18 How smoothly has the Run Gum company launched?

24:29 How has starting your own business impacted your decision to retire?

26:22 Why did you choose to sit out the 2015 World Championships?

28:51 Do you have any regrets about it?

30:06 Will you continue fighting for athlete’s rights in the years to come?

31:44 Do you anticipate Run Gum’s antitrust lawsuit against USATF and the USOC will be resolved in time for the next qualification trials?

35:50 How can listeners help facilitate improvement of athlete’s rights?

37:06 What has been your opinion of doping and cheating in the running world?

39:13 How did you continue to compete knowing you were running against runners who were likely doping?

42:31 What is your favorite flavor of Run Gum?

Quotes by GUEST:

“I didn’t love running; I actually hated it at the time, but I enjoyed practice, I enjoyed the team.”

“I wouldn’t necessarily advise athletes to start a brand or company while their still competing.”

“I’m going out on my terms. I’m not being forced out for financial reasons or due to injury, my body just doesn’t do what it used to do and that’s OK.”

“If you take the time to visualize every single scenario unfolding, then when you’re in the race and you only have a ¼ second to make a decision, you’ve already made it. You’ve already played that out in your mind.”

“I’m not saying that Run Gum is for everybody, but if you’re in need of energy and focus in a lightweight, affordable, easily consumed package this is for you.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Closing the Gap Between Who We Are and Who We Can Be - With Adam Goucher & Tim Catalano

Adam Goucher & Tim Catalano met at the University of Colorado where they ran together under esteemed coach Mark Wetmore. It was there that a lasting friendship was born, and Tim and Adam later went on to pen a book on their combined experiences and studies.

The book is calledRunning the Edge, and it is as much about life as it is about running.

Running the Edgeserved as a philosophical foundation for their business, Run The Edge, a community of fitness and fun based in Boulder, Colorado. The ultimate goal of Run The Edge is to help people around the world improve their fitness and overall well-being, and to encourage all levels of transformation and growth through community support.

Adam and Tim are big believers in the power of reflection and self-awareness, and as they strive to help others better themselves in running and beyond, they’re continually working to do the same.

Take a listen and learn how the power of positive psychology can help us close the gap between who we are and who we can be.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Adam and Tim’s running backgroundKey principles in their book,Running the EdgeHow successful running and successful living are intertwinedThe importance of self awarenessWhy having multiple sources of passion is importantHow the challenge of running changes as we age

Questions Adam & Tim are asked:

3:56 How did you start running and what sparked your interest in it?

8:01 What inspired you to write your book Running the Edge?

10:53 What are some of the principles from the book?

12:47 How do these principles relate to your company and how did you come up with the name Run The Edge?

15:02 What are “The Six Mirrors”?

16:27 Did you have any learning or self-discovery moments as you wrote the book?

20:59 What is the dynamic like of being longtime friends and working together?

24:27 Did this dynamic exist between you back in college?

27:04 How do you advise people to find other passions without sacrificing their running?

31:30 What advice do you give to older runners, especially older beginners, who may be past their peak conditioning?

35:20 In your book, what do you mean by the Distance Maven and how did you come by that term?

40:29 What is your Amerithon Challenge?

44:55 Is there a time frame requirement for completing the challenge?

46:40 Can people join in any time after the launch?

47:34 Are most of your clients in America or overseas?

48:15 What’s in the future for Run The Edge?

Quotes by Adam & Tim:

“It’s weird how (running) can make you happy and miserable all at the same time.”

“We didn’t want to write a normal running book.”

“Am I applying myself to the point where I’m working as hard as I can and doing things the right way? Because if I am, then I will be successful.”

“Here’s what I really am. And here’s my ideal self, which is where Icouldbe and try to look at the gap between those two things.”

“Awareness is the key. Once you are aware of your shortcomings, you have the ability to fix them.”

“You’ve gotta be more than a runner.”

“I’ll never be as fast as I once was, but that doesn’t mean I can’t challenge myself to do new and different things.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

When Skechers Performance athlete Esther Atkins realized she didn’t quite possess the genetics to become an 800 meter specialist, she set her sights on something different - and it’s lucky she did.

One of America’s best marathoners today, Esther was the 2014 US Marathon champion and earned a spot on the World Championships Marathon team in 2015.

With a blazing personal best of 2:33:15 and many more achievements to her name, it’s clear Esther found her calling.

But just as with most runners, Esther’s career has not been without its setbacks.

From severe performance anxiety to plain old bad races, Esther has persevered through a lot to become the accomplished competitor she is today, and she credits a large part of her success to avoiding comparisons and focusing on her strengths.

Listen in as Esther shares her inspiring story and her tips for capitalizing on the strengths unique to you and your body.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Esther’s running backgroundEsther’s worst race ever and what she learned from itHow to bounce back from bad daysMental toughnessThe pitfalls of comparisonDetermining and maximizing your strengthsTricks for setting goals

Questions Esther is asked:

3:37 How did you first get into running?

8:40 How did your collegiate running turn into becoming a career marathoner?

17:19 What were some of the strategies you used to manage your pre-race anxieties?

21:29 What sparked your passion for the marathon?

27:54 Would you consider that 3rd marathon a defining race that changed the course of your career?

28:23 What did you credit that great pace to?

30:26 Why do you consider your 2nd marathon one of your worst races and what were your takeaways from it?

41:20 How do you bounce back after a bad race?

44:13 What is one of your proudest accomplishments to date?

47:01 What are your tips for enjoying every day and the process that is being a runner?

51:27 What advice do you have regarding setting goals?

53:54 How do you advise people to avoid the comparison rrap?

58:26 What's next for you and Skechers?

Quotes by Esther:

“Pick a point in the race where the people around me at this point are the people I’m racing - that’s my race. And if I beat all the people around me or that person in front of me….that’s me winning the race.”

“At 30k….I stepped off the course and sat down and I had a little pity fest….and then I started walking and then I started jogging because I was like ‘this is going to take forever’. Then I heard this voice over the PA….say in German, ‘Come on, ladies. Four of the top sixteen have already dropped out. Come on - just have fun like the rest of us!’ And I was like ‘you are so right’.”

“As I got so much better at the marathon, I was like ‘oh all my other times are going to get so much faster’, and it just didn’t happen that way.”

“A coach that I worked with at Rider, Bob Hamer - he’s the head coach there - he had his own version of it from yoga class where it’s just focus on your own mat and your own practice, and that’s so important to happiness. The key to happiness is not comparing yourself.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. David Geier has an enormous passion for helping athletes reach their maximum potential, and he believes a big part of that is simply learning from others’ mistakes.

We runners often ride that line between just right and too much in training, and injury occurs when we go too far.

This is the basis of David’s bookThat’s Gotta Hurt, which chronicles the injuries that have served as turning points in sports medicine, including Joan Benoit’s legendary win in the 1984 US Olympic Marathon Trials just 17 days after arthroscopic knee surgery.

In this episode, David will discuss the ways in which sports medicine has evolved and share the truth behind treatments like cortisone injections, stem cell therapy, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to help you navigate through injuries for long term health and success.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: Common causes of running injuries and how to minimize themThe importance of sleep and how to know if you’re getting enoughHow to determine if shoes or orthotics will help or hurt youThe importance of strength training and cross trainingWhat’s on the horizon for sports medicineInflammation and anti-inflammatories: When are they good and when are they not? Questions Dr. Geier is asked:

4:03 What sparked your interest in sports medicine and orthopedic surgery?5:28 What has been the most common cause of injury among your clients and runners in general?

6:49 What advice do you have for runners regarding not crossing that line into you overuse?

8:13 Is it just a matter of not exceeding your stress threshold and do stress thresholds increase as you get fitter?

9:35 What are some stresses and lifestyle habits that make a runner more susceptible to injury?

11:13 How much sleep should runners be trying to get at night?

13:33 What monitor are you using to monitor your sleep?

16:21 In your opinion, how do you shoes play a role in injury?

22:13 What is your opinion on whether or not orthotics cause more injuries than they prevent and if so, why is this?

25:05 How can runners determine for themselves if orthotics are necessary?

24:58 Is it better for runners to strength train weak spots on their bodies then to use orthotics?

26:34 How did Joan Benoit’s rapid recovery from knee surgery resulting in her win at the Olympic marathon trials serve as a turning point for sports medicine?

29:42 What is your opinion on taking time off when recovering from injury?

32:24 What are a few common weaknesses for runners that contribute to injury?

37:31 What's happening in sports medicine today with treatments that can help reverse damage from prior injuries?

39:51 What is platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatment?

42:24 How effective is it and how quickly do people see the effects of it?

43:32 Why aren't you a fan of Cortisone shots?

45:27 Should runners take anti-inflammatories or let the inflammation run its course?

47:12 How should people best implement Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation and are any more important than the other?

49:05 What's your opinion on cryotherapy?

52:58 What kinds of things can runners do now to ensure long-term health and performance success?

Quotes by Dr. Geier:

“I’m all for pushing yourself to a new goal, but you’ve got to work up to that slowly.”

“If you start paying attention to your sleep, that naturally is going to make you want to get more sleep.”

“There was a study that just came out in the last 3 or 4 months that showed that the lowest injury rates were people who wore the shoes that were most comfortable for them.”

“It’s just really a great feeling to be able to tell somebody after they suffered an injury or they had surgery, ‘Hey, you can go back to running or you can go back to football or soccer or whatever it is’ and see the excitement on their face.”

“If something really hurts, just take a day or two off and see if that’s just enough to get it better, but you don’t have to just stop running altogether.”

“We may be at the point where we’re about to make another big, big shift in (sports medicine). I think what’s coming are these treatments based on YOUR body.”

“We want people being active forever, throughout their lives. The key is to encourage people to do it, but to do it in a way so that their bodies hold up so they can be active later, so that they can play with their kids and run in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and just be physically active with daily activities.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Heat waves blurred the horizon as Jack and his competition toed the starting line, their uniforms already drenched in sweat. It was over 100 degrees, and spectators lined the course with sprinklers and garden hoses at the ready to cool off passing runners.

40 percent of the field dropped out that year, but, through smart racing and pure grit, Jack gradually worked his way into the lead and then into history as he crossed the line the champion of the 1976 Boston Marathon with a finishing time of 2:20:19.

The race was nicknamed - appropriately enough - the “Run for the Hoses”, and it was one of the biggest defining moments of Jack’s life.

“One” being the operative word.

Jack went on to record a personal best of 2:11:17 at Boston in 1978 and qualified for 3 consecutive Olympic Trials in the marathon in 1972, 1976, and 1980.

Jack also taught sports psychology at Tufts for 26 years and now works as a training consultant to the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge through which he has raised over $30 million for breast cancer research.

Jack has no shortage of insight when it comes to mental game, and he loves sharing that insight to help other runners.

Listen in as Jack discusses his tips and tricks for setting goals, bouncing back after bad races, and finding happiness in the process.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

How Jack started runningJack’s progression from underdog to Boston Marathon winnerThe 1976 Boston MarathonJack’s background in sports psychologyWhy it’s important to differentiate “victory” and “success”Jack’s advice on setting goalsHow to bounce back from a bad race

Questions Jack is asked:

3:55 How was your experience at ZAP Fitness?

6:15 How did you first get into running and what really sparked your passion for the sport?

19:45 What were the conditions for 1976 Boston Marathon?

21:13 Did your strategy change going into that race?

26:17 What were the last 8 miles of that race like for you?

31:58 How did it feel having the crowd cheering for you as you won the Boston Marathon?

37:03 What do you advise runners to do in regards to setting goals or multiple goals per race?

46:02 Why should we differentiate “Victory” from “Success”?

49:20 How do you advise runners bounce back from a ‘bad’ race?

57:13 How much time did you give yourself to ‘grieve’ over a disappointing race?

1:00:31 What’s next for you?

Quotes by Jack:

“I just almost had to keep pinching myself. ‘Is this really happening? I’m really winning the Boston Marathon!’”

“Too much focus on the outcome will contaminate your performance….The process by which - if we attend to that, then the outcome becomes a byproduct of that process, and we have much more control over the process as opposed to the actual outcome.”

“Part of the human condition is that we tend to confirm our greatest fears to ourselves, and if our greatest fear is to lose a race, we increase the likelihood of that happening by whatever means.”

“Having a secondary goal to fall back on when we know the first one is gone - that can help keep your feet in the fire. If somebody goes to the starting line of...a marathon...wanting to qualify for Boston, and now their splits are telling them that’s not going to happen. You don’t want to just throw the whole thing out and find yourself giving up, and now you take nothing away from the race other than beating up on yourself….Have a secondary goal going in that you can fall back on.”

“Victory is purely defined by the results, and success can be defined by an internal measure of what you did against what you felt you had to give.”

“It’s running smart first, and tough second, and taking your last effective steps at the finish line and crossing the finish line knowing that no matter how else you may have executed the race, you probably could not have run any faster.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

What if someone told you there is no “correct” stride? That, just like our fingerprints, everyone’s optimal stride is unique to them?

While this goes against the grain of what we runners have been taught, Jonathan Beverly has the proof to back it up.

The author of a new book called Your Best Stride,Jonathan is a coach, lifetime runner, and expert in running shoes and the running industry.

He writes for Runner’s World and Outside Magazine just to name a few, and he also served as editor ofRunning Timesfrom 2000-2016.

Today Jonathan’s going to share with us some shocking information on the myths surrounding running shoes and what constitutes a perfect stride, how to counter those lifestyle habits detrimental to your stride, and how to master the best stride for you and your performance.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Jonathan’s new book Your Best StrideWhy there is no “correct” strideStride signature and preferred movement pathWhy foot strike is overratedThe perils of sitting down and other lifestyle habitsHow to counter the effects of these habitsHow to avoid “ruts”Universal form cues all runners should know

Questions Jonathan is asked:

3:48 What is your background and how did you become passionate about running?

6:32 What prompted you to start a writing career centered around running?

9:26 Can you tell us about Your Best Stride and what inspired you to write it?

16:03 Why is foot strike overrated and what should runners focus on instead?

19:30 You argue there is no “correct” stride. Why?

22:37 How does sitting down a lot affect stride? What are some other bad lifestyle habits for stride efficiency?

25:42 How does driving, typing, and scrolling through your phone affect posture and arm carriage?

27:27 How can people counter the effects of these lifestyle habits on their strides?

31:07 What areas of the body should runners focus on strengthening most?

38:01 How does switching up terrain and race distance help improve stride and overall performance?

41:53 Should runners switch the types of shoes they run in regularly?

44:05 What are the myths surrounding running shoes?

47:47 What are some universal form cues all runners should follow?

50:37 Is it more important to strengthen our weak spots than it is to try and consciously change our form?

52:01 How should runners determine which shoes are right for them and their bodies?

54:42 What’s next for you?

Quotes by Jonathan:

“The kinetic chain starts at the hips, and if your hips are off, then everything else is going to be off. So the focus needs to move up, and [foot strike] is the consequence of an effective stride - it’s not the cause of it. If you try to correct the consequence without addressing the cause, you end up with a mess.”

“You can think of your stride like your voice. I’m hearing you talk now and it’s the first time we’ve talked, but the next time I hear you I’ll recognize you. And you shouldn’t sound like me - you should sound like you. You vocal chords are different, the length of your neck is different, the size of your lungs is different - all of those things go into creating your voice. And it’s the same thing with your stride.”

“Because we’ve been sitting so long, a lot of us can’t actually [extend our hips] anymore….If we try, it’s sort of like opening a screen door that only has a hinge one way. If you’re pushing it the other way, you’re going to break the door frame.”

“[Running drills] aren’t cueing a certain type of stride - they’re just changing the motion, changing the muscle recruitment so that your body starts noticing that ‘oh, if I use the glute instead of the hamstring, we can go easier and faster’.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

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After LA native and trail runner Caitlin Landesberg discovered she was gluten intolerant, she felt left out when she could no longer partake in the ritual post-workout beer with her friends.

To most runners, this ritual is a familiar one and part of what makes the sport so gratifying. Kicking back with friendsafter a workout or a race and having a well-earned beer (or, ya know, maybe a few) is an important facet of running and one that goes way back. The celebration (and often commiseration) following a race is a key component to our camaraderie as runners, and beer plays a big role in that.

To Caitlin, running just wasn’t the same without this component, and so she began looking for a satisfying gluten-free beer that would quench her thirst for the rich, full taste to which she was accustomed.

Coming up empty, Caitlin decided to just make her own, and, after a lot of trial and error, Sufferfest Beer Company was born.

Specializing in gluten-removed beer, Sufferfest’s mission is to build community in the running world and provide hardworking athletes with the reward they deserve.

Caitlin is continually working to create not only a great tasting beer but a beer also enriched with vitamins and minerals to help you replenish what you’ve lost and bounce back faster.

Listen in as Caitlin shares how she is working to change the worlds of craft beer and running alike.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: Caitlin’s athletic backgroundSymptoms of gluten intoleranceChallenges Caitlin faced when going gluten-freeHow Sufferfest Beer Co. got startedHow to make gluten-removed beerCaitlin’s mission to change the worlds of beer and running

22:47 Were you doing this on the side or did you leave your job to do this?

25:50 Was it difficult finding distributors for your beer?

29:35 How did you come up with the name Sufferfest?

32:07 Where can people buy Sufferfest beer?

38:42 How do you wish to impact both the worlds of craft beer and athletics?

43:17 What makes conservation and sustainability so important to you and your team?

46:14 What’s next for you and Sufferfest?

48:09 If you could pick the worst/most gratifying race you’ve ever run, the best Sufferfest, what would it be?

Quotes by Caitlin:

“Now I run mostly for fun, I run with friends, I run to….gosh, to just sort of feel alive.”

“You would look at me and say this person’s in shape - she eats pretty well and of course runs quite a bit and treats her body pretty well, but I was all sorts of wrong at the time.”

“It was just kind of the trial and error of seeing how far I could take something and see how good I could make something taste for myself for very selfish purposes is what sort of led me down this road.”

“That was the big aha moment for me was being able to pass my beer around that was made in this gluten-removed methodology, and people just drank it and loved it. And I didn’t even have to say anything about it, and that’s the beauty of it….just enjoying the basic ritual of having a beer with friends.”

“After a hard day out there whether you’ve been hiking or swimming or what have you - whatever you do to kind of feel like you’ve earned it….I want something satisfying and premium and not low-calorie.”

“I think when we’re all drinking together, we have that camaraderie that we’ve just really writhed and ailed, and that’s sort of the best feeling at times: to finish together and talk about what you’ve just endured.”

“We’re celebrating of course, and that’s part of training: to take days off or take time to celebrate achievements. But how can beer also aid in bouncing back and recovery?”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

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Much like many of our listeners, Cherie picked up endurance sports a little later in life - starting running in her early 40s and triathlons in her late 40s.

Now at the age of 73, she is one of the most heavily decorated Masters triathletes in the world and still competes in half Ironmans to this day.

In this episode, Cherie walks us through her late entry into competitive running and triathlons, her philosophy for finding continued success in the sport, and a little about her nonprofit organization through which she works to help underprivileged kids achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Between her advice on longevity in the sport and her outlook on self betterment (even when that may no longer mean setting PR’s), Cherie’s story has something for everyone.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: What motivated Cherie to start running and competing in triathlonsHow she has maintained her competitive streak, both physically and mentallyWhat makes the Ironman World Championship at Kona so special to CherieHow Cherie is giving back through sport and opportunity Questions Cherie is asked:

3:25 What is your athletic background?

5:14 What inspired you to start running?

8:36 Did you have any setbacks or struggles when you first started?

10:12 When did you realize you had the potential to be a competitive triathlete?

10:55 How did you get interested in triathlons?

19:04 Did you know at your first Kona event that you could become one of the most decorated Masters triathletes in the world?

19:45 What did becoming the first woman over age 55 to complete an Ironman in less than 12 hours mean to you?

23:14 Why did you select Kona as the event you wanted to break the 12-hour barrier?

24:18 What makes Kona so special to you?

26:21 What makes Kona something you look forward to year after year?

28:22 Is Kona the Boston Marathon of triathlons?

28:44 Which part of the triathlon is your strongest and which is your weakest?

30:25 Is trying to set new goals within each component of the triathlon part of what keeps you going?

36:47 How has BodyHealth helped you compete at such a high level for so long while remaining healthy?

39:21 Do you attribute much of your success to these supplements and how did you feel prior to and after using them regularly?

41:39 Besides the supplements, what other tips do you have for maintaining competitive longevity?

43:32 What is your organization, Exceeding Expectations, and what is its mission?

49:12 What’s next for you?

Quotes by Cherie:

“I would never have guessed that I would have had the opportunities that I did.”

“If you have to ask (about Kona), you haven’t been there.”

“There’s a bonding among all Ironmen; you meet another Ironman on a plane and you don’t even have to ask questions, you just automatically know certain things about the character of the person.”

“My swim and my bike are within 10 or 15 minutes of what they used to be, but the run? There’s no way that I am going to run a 4-hour marathon in an Ironman any longer. But I’m still one of the top runners in the age group.”

“You cannot race the way you used to; you simply are NOT going to, and you have to accept that.”

“Sleeping is critical to being ready for the next day.”

“Don’t wait till you’re a Masters athlete to start thinking about maintaining health and longevity, because if you intend to stay in this for the long haul, you gotta start when you’re younger. You have to develop these good, healthy habits, you have to understand that you’re not invincible, that you can be taken down and it’s up to you to take care of yourself so that some of that doesn’t happen.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

When ultramarathoner and running guru Danny Dreyer attended a tai chi class in 1999, a lightbulb went off.

He believed the martial art’s principles of alignment, relaxation, and balance might allow him to finally make the next leap in training, and he wasn’t disappointed.

After he began incorporating tai chi into his running, Danny not only witnessed dramatic improvements in his performance, but he also wasn’t getting injured any more.

In fact, he’d finish a run feeling exactly the same as when he started.

Wishing to share his discovery, Danny foundedChiRunning through which he’s helped thousands of runners conquer injury and run more efficiently to reach new levels.

A mindful and process driven exercise rather than simply a means to an end, ChiRunning is also known as “moving meditation”, and it’s helped both recreational and elite athletes reduce impact for improved health, better performance, and more enjoyable running.

Listen in as Danny discusses the benefits of ChiRunning as well as how you can achieve the technique so many runners swear by today.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

A little about Danny and ChiRunningThe ChiRunning techniqueScientific evidence for the benefits of ChiRunningDanny’s opinion on footwearHow to accomplish the ChiRunning techniqueBody SensingChiRunning SchoolSuccess stories and elite runners that use this technique Questions Danny is asked:

3:05 What is your background with ChiRunning?

6:56 What are the principles of Tai Chi and how are they incorporated into biomechanics?

12:01 What is the foot-strike with ChiRunning?

13:44 What did the 2012 ChiRunning study at UNC - Chapel Hill involve?

18:29 In this study, how did shoes affect ChiRunners?

23:48 What is the ChiRunning technique?

28:41 What about cadence and stride rate?

29:35 How long does it take for a runner to learn this new motion?

30:30 How does this help or help prevent injury?

34:20 How would you advise runners adjust their form into ChiRunning?

37:43 What is Body Sensing and what are the benefits?

42:24 Is it more real-time analysis vs. post-activity analysis?

43:19 How is Body Sensing taught?

46:52 Do Runners need shoes for pronation / supination?

48:27 Do you do online consultations?

54:39 Listener question: Do people see significant improvements in their running times with ChiRunning?

Quotes by Danny:

“[ChiRunning] is all about really having great posture (really working on your posture)....working from your core or from your center but relaxing everything outside that. It’s really different than how most runners run.”

“I would come back from a run and not even feel like I had gone for a run, so I thought ‘there’s something to this.’”

“Tai Chi is based on how the body is designed, and how the human body is designed is all the big muscles and larger and stronger muscles are in the area of your core - or your “center”. Now in Tai Chi they call your center your “dantien”, and they call it your “power center”. It’s the place from which you move.”

“Where do most of the running injuries happen?....From the knees on down….So what does that tell you? People are using all the teeny tiny, much smaller muscles to run with instead of all the big strong muscles in the middle.”

“The running form is what’s important - not the shoes.”

“As your knees bend as you pass over your support stride, then it turns into a very circular stride like your feet are going around in a wheel motion - like you’re pedaling a crankset to a bicycle.”

“It’s also about reducing your impact. So not only are you getting faster easier, but you’re not creating any impact, which can wear out your muscles, joints, brake pads, things like that.”

“I love that phrase ‘run yourself into the ground.’ That’s how a lot of people run: into the ground instead of across the ground.”

“What I’ve come up with is 104 lessons - that’s one lesson a week for two years. And I did a video of each lesson, and then I did an audio to take with you on the run so people can download the audio and I’m talking in your ear while you’re learning [ChiRunning].”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

You’re in the thick of training just a few weeks away from your big goal race, and then one morning you step out of bed to feel a new pain - a pain far worse than the everyday soreness you know too well.

*insert expletive*

So what does the doctor prescribe? You guessed it. Time off.

These two words are pretty much the last thing we runners want to hear after months and months of hard work, and the thought of scrapping all that work and starting over after your goal race has come and gone can be demoralizing.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Enter Dr. Christopher Segler of Doc On The Run, a San Francisco-based practice that specializes in podiatry and running injuries.

An accomplished marathoner and Ironman triathlete, Chris knows full well how frustrating injuries can be, which is why he’s devoted his life’s work to getting sidelined runners healthy and back to the grind as fast as possible.

So what’s the first step to a speedy recovery? According to Chris, don’t take time off.

You read that right.

Despite those conventional protocols to which we’re accustomed (“six weeks off” ring any bells?), Chris maintains time off is not only unnecessary, but it’s also counterproductive to recovering from most injuries.

In this episode of Run to the Top, Chris will dispel the myths surrounding injury and discuss better alternatives to time off - methods that help you bounce back not only stronger than before but also equipped with the knowledge crucial to preventing future injury.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: A little about Chris and Doc On The RunThe most common causes of injury among runnersStresses and lifestyle habits that contribute to injuryChris’ thoughts on minimalist and maximalist shoesWhy inactivity is counterproductive to recoveryWhen time off is actually warrantedHow to remain active while recovering Questions Chris is asked:

3:10 Tell us about yourself as an athlete as well as Doc On The Run.

6:08 What have you found to be the most common cause of injury?

7:27 What are the typical causes of plantar fasciitis and metatarsal stress fractures?

11:14 How would you advise people maximize their 'stress threshold' without exceeding it?

13:20 How familiar are you with Irene Davis and her research?

14:29 Do you think that footwear causes injuries?

17:07 Do you advocate minimalist shoes?

22:34 When should a runner avoid using minimalist shoes?

24:48 What do you mean when you say that runners have an unfair advantage when it comes to recovering from injuries?

29:46 Why is inactivity the last thing a runner needs when recovering from an injury?

36:55 Why does conventional medicine have such difficulty with treating runners?

37:42 What should runners actually do to facilitate recovery for different types of injuries?

44:58 How should an injured runner know when it's time to swap out running for a lower impact activity to aid recovery?

48:39 How can runners determine which cross training activity best suits their injury?

49:57 Will anti-inflammatories inhibit recovery?

56:26 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Chris:

“That’s the way I’ve really shaped my practice is to help runners achieve their goal - not just make their pain go away.”

“A news guy was interviewing a highway patrolman, and he was talking about snow - it had just started snowing in Lake Tahoe. And then while they were standing there talking about this, there was actually an accident right behind them….And so the interviewer said to the highway patrolman, ‘Well isn’t it true that snow causes accidents?’ And the highway patrolman looked at him like he was an idiot, and he said, ‘No, driving too fast for conditions causes accidents.’”

“I believe you only have so much stress that your body can take, and if it’s too much then something breaks.”

“The overwhelming majority of children actually run as forefoot or midfoot strikers. 85% of adults run as rearfoot strikers. 85% of adults who run as rearfoot strikers have also all been wearing some sort of shoe that has an elevated heel usually somewhere roughly in the vicinity of 12mm for pretty much their entire lives.”

“I believe that most runners who have been habitually active - that cycle of tissue damage and tissue repair effectively trains your immune system and your body to heal injuries faster.”

“Most runners don’t feel good when they don’t run, and it’s not because they’re exercise addicts. It’s because their physiology is different.”

“I think it sets up a whole chain of recurring injuries when you stop running.”

“The doctors look at it and they say if you want this one thing - this one injured thing to get better - you have to pay for it by this whole protocol that we use in America as the standard treatment. And they don’t even mention that you’re going to have this enormous risk of recurring injuries that may or may not ever go away.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

You know your body better than anyone else, so you know when things aren’t feeling “right”.

Unfortunately, traditional healthcare doesn’t typically cater to runners. Reference ranges are determined without the athlete in mind, and when you express symptoms of fatigue, weight gain, or maybe IBS to the average practitioner, you’re often prescribed medication as a short term solution to a longterm problem.

Enter functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner and “biohacker” Christopher Kelly. Chris is the founder of a company called Nourish Balance Thrive that provides athletes with science-based, personally customized support programs based on their unique wiring.

A program is created with an athlete’s specific biomarkers in mind, which are substances indicative of disease, infection, or environmental exposure that help Chris and his team pinpoint what might be holding that athlete back.

After effectively reversing his Type II diabetes and going from recreational cycler to now pro, Chris wanted to share the methods he discovered through trial and error with athletes like him.

He started Nourish Balance Thrive back in 2013, and he’s now working with two medical professionals and two engineers to develop software for blood interpretation that he believes will change sports medicine (and healthcare in general) as we know it.

Listen in as Chris discusses “biohacking” and explains two biomarkers he and his team have found to be paramount to performance and longevity.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: Key biomarkers and their importanceChris’s personal story and reversing progressive diabetesUnderstanding diet and dietary adjustmentsHow training slow can increase your performanceThe role of stress in our lives

Questions Chris is asked:

4:40 Tell us about Nourish Balance Thrive

5:26 How do you help athletes adjust diets and lifestyles?

7:31 What is Fasting Blood Glucose?

9:17 How did your team determine optimal reference ranges?

10:41 How does elevated fasting blood glucose work as a biomarker and what does it mean?

“It’s always interesting to look at a study that’s being done on people who don’t have a problem.”

“I wouldn’t try and claim that everybody is sensitive to gluten, nor would I try and claim that removing gluten from your diet makes it a healthy diet.”

“Let’s say you’ve got the suspicion that you’re sensitive to milk or cheese or soy or nuts or gluten or something else, the gold standard is to remove those foods from your diet for a period, see how you do and then experiment with reintroducing them.”

“Every time I go and do something, I’m always looking for small differences.”

“I find that once you get good at noticing these small changes, you won’t just notice them in your environment around you, you’ll also notice them in yourself.”

“One person’s greatest problem is going to be not an issue at all for the next person and vice versa.”

“Different people respond in different ways to stress and your job is to find the tools that allow you to appropriately manage stress.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Since Christopher McDougall popularized the practice in his 2009 publication ofBorn to Run, more and more runners have been opting for minimalist shoes or, ditching the foam altogether, barefoot running.

Followers of the barefoot movement maintain the practice both significantly reduces injury and improves running performance. But is there real, scientific proof to back these claims?

According to Dr. Irene Davis, the answer is a resounding yes.

Irene is one of sport’s leading experts on running biomechanics and injury as well as the most credible minimalist shoe and barefoot running advocate in the world. A professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, Irene’s research revolves primarily around the relationship between lower extremity mechanics and injury.

She’s devoted the last decade to developing protocols to alter runners’ gait patterns and thereby reduce those mechanics known to cause injury - mechanics, as Irene has learned, often caused by footwear.

Listen in as Irene explains how the evolution of footwear has ultimately come to defy our own.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today: Irene’s background and running biomechanics researchHow Irene became a barefoot and minimalist shoe advocateWhy injury rates are so high among runnersDifferences in biomechanics between traditional shoes, minimalist, and barefootHow to modify running gait to reduce risk for injury and improve performanceHow to strengthen your feetHow to transition to minimalist shoes/barefoot running if interestedMinimalist shoe brands Questions Irene is asked:

4:30 What research are you involved in?

4:54 How did you get involved in biomechanics research?

5:36 Were you initially working with the general public or professional athletes?

6:22 Given your prior background, when and why did you become a barefoot running advocate?

9:12 Why do you think so many runners get injured every year?

10:44 Why do you believe supportive footwear is causing injuries?

14:03 Are these shoes encouraging heel-striking?

16:29 Is it correct to assume that strengthening your intrinsic and extrinsic muscles will correct issues?

18:46 Why do shod runners with a forefoot strike have the best loading-rates?

21:04 How should someone go about altering their stride?

24:07 What is ‘doming’?

26:35 How could a runner perform weight-bearing exercises while doming?

30:38 Can an injured runner do these exercises?

31:27 Are there significant differences in alignment between runners in shoes and barefoot runners?

32:35 How is dynamic stability affected by footwear from barefoot to minimal to standard running shoe?

38:48 What brands of minimalist shoes would you recommend?

43:07 Where do you see the future of barefoot running going?

45:06 As a barefoot runner, can you run on any surface or are some more preferred?

49:41 How can a traditional runner transition to barefoot running?

55:01 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Irene:

“Based on our hypothesis, barefoot running really is the model we should be using in terms of running style because it’s closest to the way that we were adapted to run.

There is something called the “mismatch” theory of evolution that says we’re not using our bodies in the way they were adapted….and saying we’re not eating the food we were adapted to eat. But I like to extend that also to running because I think that the footwear that we have gotten ourselves into….has actually changed the way that we run so that we are not running in a way that we were designed or adapted to run.

We need to be open to new ideas, and you may need to evolve in your thinking. What the truth is today may not be the truth 10 years from now, and the truth 10 years ago may not be the truth today.

Running is in our genes: you don’t need to be taught to run. You run automatically as you develop. It’s one of the motor skills you develop as a child, and so running is something that is innate in us. You do it for survival, and so it shouldn’t be an activity at which we get injured at such a high rate….It would be like birds getting wing injuries or fish getting fin injuries at a high rate.

If you think about it, if you were jumping off a high step and you were going to land in sand, you’re going to stiffen your leg. But if you know that’s concrete that you’re landing in, you’re going to soften your leg. And we do it without even thinking about it….So if you take someone who’s adapted to cushioning and have them run without cushioning, their load rates are going to be much higher.

If you consider the fact that there’s a 52% lifetime risk of developing achilles tendonitis….and most people are heel-strikers, then you start to wonder perhaps if people were landing on the ball of their foot and actually resulting in stiffer, stronger tendons, maybe that rate - that statistic - would be significantly lower.

There is evidence that the more you take away from the foot, the greater tendency you have to land on the ball of your foot….and we have basically shown that forefoot strikers in general have lower rates of loading than mid-foot strikers or forefoot strikers.

‘Lose the foam and dome!’

‘Minimal footwear running is science and evolution in perfect harmony.’

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

There are a lot of options for fueling and hydration products on the market. But beyond taste and marketing lies efficacy: is the product doing the job you need it to do when you need it to do it? There are also some misconceptions and myths that, while generally accepted, are not actually based in physiological fact. And muddying the waters further are the inherent physiological differences between men and women. If you’ve ever been confused standing in front of a sports drink display, you’re not alone.

Enter Stacy Sims, an Environmental Exercise Physiologist and Nutrition Scientist specializing in sex differences of heat and/or altitude stress, recovery, genetics, and nutrition to moderate adaptive responses for performance. Stacy is a Senior Research Fellow at The University Of Waikato and author ofROAR, which helps women understand and work with their physiology for better performance.

That’s not to say that there’s no information in here for men. Stacy passionately explains the why’s and when’s of fueling, hydration and more for both men and women. This episode will help you re-evaluate your fueling and hydration strategy to provide more optimal results.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Issues with the product functionality of the modern sports drink industry.How to fuel and hydrate while training vs. while racing; and how needs change based on environmental conditions and gender.What causes most cramping while running (it’s not what you think).Why drinking more water isn’t necessarily helpful.The specific needs of female athletes and how oral contraceptives compromise performance.The best natural sources of sugar.

5:25 What was your mission with Osmo, what is your mission now with Nuun and what is the history of the sports drink industry?

6:59 Has the sports drink industry been geared more towards palatability than osmolality?

8:55 Have you discovered that it’s better to separate fueling and hydrating altogether?

10:55 How does this play into recovery & post-workout drinks?

12:45 What would be a good fuel strategy during a marathon or long run?

14:36 How do you feel about all natural gels?

16:01 Why are you not a fan of electrolyte pills or salt tabs?

18:34 Does cramping have anything to do with dehydration or potassium deficiency?

19:43 How should a runner determine how and when to hydrate as well as to take electrolytes?

21:57 How do women’s hydration needs vary throughout the stages of their menstrual cycle?

23:49 How should a woman who is having her period leading into a race alter her hydration strategy?

24:40 What do you mean by “Women are not small men” and how do men’s and women’s protein and carb requirements differ?

27:30 Are you not a proponent of oral contraception for high performance female athletes?

29:04 What would you suggest to female athletes as a safe alternative to the pill?

30:07 What is your take on the popular high fat / low carb diet in general and for men vs. women specifically?

33:01 Do women need carbs as endurance athletes?

33:36 Does sugar actually inhibit one’s ability to use fat as fuel?

35:01 Out of all the different types, which sugars are best?

36:39 What about honey?

37:06 What are the best solid foods to use to fuel for training and competition?

38:28 How does ambient temperature affect how people process different foods?

38:41 What should people consume post-run, especially post-workout or post-long run to facilitate glycogen repletion, fluid balance and overall recovery?

40:16 How has your partnership with Nuun been so far and what’s in the works with them?

43:08 What is the new product Nuun just released?

47:50 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Stacy:

“No one’s really pushing down on ‘we need fluid first’, because you can live 3 or 4 days without hydration and you can live 7-90 days without food; so from a functionality and a physiological point, you really want to look at the hydration and not the carbohydrate intake.”“A sports drink is like a sofa bed; it’s not a good bed, it’s not a good sofa, because you’re trying to merge two things that shouldn’t be merged.”“When we think about all this engineered nutrition, you’re taking concentrated carbohydrate and putting it in this compromised gut.”“It’s not about eating a whole bunch of food at once, it’s a sip, sip, nibble, nibble approach.”“Use water for something up to an hour, but if something’s intense you need more than water, because water doesn’t hydrate.”“After 2 hours… your thirst is not a very good representation of what’s happening.”“Getting people to understand that what you read in a general scope does not necessarily apply to women because the research hasn’t been done on women.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Beet juice has become all the rage in the running world over the last few years, and for that we can thank Dr. Andrew Jones (aka @AndyBeetroot on Twitter).

With the help of his team at the University of Exeter, Andrew discovered beetroot’s natural performance enhancing benefits back in 2014 and continues exploring new ways for runners to fully capitalize on them. These benefits include a reduction in the cost of oxygen during exercise (and therefore perceived effort) as well as a boost in cognitive function, which, let’s face it, we could all use when the going gets tough at the end of a race.

And Andrew’s scientific pursuits don’t stop there. While he’s known more recently for his work with beetroot, Andrew is also the associate dean of Research and Knowledge Transfer, a professor of applied physiology, the Head of Sport and Health Sciences, and the leader of the Bioenergetics and Human Performance Research Group at the University of Exeter.

When he’s not studying beetroot’s ergogenic effects, he’s one of sport’s leading physiologists. Specializing in VO2 kinetics, he works with a variety of elite athletes and was the longtime physiologist to both Jo Pavey, who just 3 years ago became the oldest European female 10K champion at the age of 40, as well as Paula Radcliffe, who holds the world record in the marathon.

Let’s just say Andrew knows his stuff, and between all his groundbreaking research and expertise there’s a good chance you’ll have a hankering for some beets by the end of this interview.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Andrew’s work as a leading physiologistThe importance of VO2 max to performanceThe research on beetroot to date and what’s nextBeetroot’s performance benefitsHow to integrate beetroot in your diet for the best results

Questions Andrew is asked:

3:31 Andrew’s background

5:53 Working with endurance athletes in your role as a physiologist

8:10 How important do you think VO2 Max is to athletic performance?

9:18 What studies are you currently working on?

10:53 How did you originally become interested in beetroot?

14:54 In your study, how long did it take for subjects to start seeing results from beetroot?

16:26 Would endurance athletes get the same benefits from beetroot as shorter, high-intensity athletes?

19:44 How much of your research has focused on the benefits of beetroot for recreational athletes vs. elite athletes?

22:03 When you studied lesser experienced runners, did you see any changes in their VO2 Max numbers?

24:37 Would this also speed up recovery rates?

26:42 Are there any other food sources that contain a high concentration of nitrate?

28:50 Are micro nutrients more easily absorbed via liquid form?

29:33 How do our bodies process nitrate?

32:41 Is there an effective beet product that is mobile-friendly?

36:17 How can people integrate beetroot into their diets and training programs for best results?

38:11 Why would you recommend 3-4 weeks on followed by a break from taking it?

38:54 Would consuming beetroot midway through a long run provide any benefits?

41:54 Are there any GI issues or side effects to be aware of?

43:40 How much headroom do you think there is for beetroot research as an ergogenic aid?

49:42 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by GUEST:

“One of my specialities is VO2 kinetics: so when the gun fires at the beginning of a race, how quickly we can switch on our aerobic energy system to meet the energy demand by utilizing the oxygen that we breath in.”

“I’m very interested in the impact of the work that we do in the lab on actually changing practicing athletes and helping them improve their performance….So my PHD was really all about what’s the best approach we can use in the lab to measure the things in runners we know are important to their success and then relating that to the training that they do.”

“If you can understand the basis of fatigue, then that can help you understand performance more generally, and obviously that has applications in the elderly, the general public, and people with various diseases as well.”

“A chance encounter with a paper that surprised me in a journal led me to investigate the same topic further, and we’ve continued in that vein for probably the last eight years or so because the results were so - you know, it was one of those “eureka moments” that you get so rarely in science.”

“It looks as if in the condition where the participants took the nitrate top up halfway through, they were able to slightly spare the muscle glycogen concentration, which over the course of a marathon would be a beneficial thing to happen.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!

Why Your Best Accomplishment Should Be Your Next One - Director of the Boston Marathon Dave McGillivray

Race director, philanthropist, motivational speaker, accomplished athlete - Dave McGillivray is a professional with a purpose. From his extraordinary run across the U.S. to benefit the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1978 to serving as technical director then race director of the BAA Boston Marathon since the 1980s, McGillivray has helped organize more than 900 mass participatory events since founding DMSE, Inc. in 1981, while raising millions for worthy causes close to his heart.

In this episode, Dave shares with us his perspective on how running and races have changed over the years, as well as describing his own accomplishments and outlook. The Boston Marathon is arguably one of the most iconic races and one whose meaning has grown even more since the tragedy in 2013. I know that many of you are in the final stages of preparing for this event and I think this inside view may get you even more psyched up. If that’s possible.

Here are some of the topics we’ll discuss today:

Dave’s personal running accomplishmentsDave’s drive for, and various types of, philanthropyHis perspective on past and future accomplishmentsWhat’s actually involved in putting together a major racing eventHow Dave has maintained his high fitness level. Questions Dave is asked:

5:39 What is your running background?

7:22 What was your initial spark to start running?

10:34 What is the story behind your starting the first sanctioned running club inside a maximum security prison?

13:56 How was your experience with your 24-hour swim?

17:10 How do you feel running has evolved since the 1970’s?

20:40 Would you agree that there are many more recreational runners now than in the ‘70’s?

22:06 Do you feel that all races should have a qualifying standard like the Boston Marathon?

23:45 What does it mean to be a race director?

27:10 How has your approach to organizing the marathon changed since 2013?

28:39 How has the atmosphere of the race changed since then?

29:52 Besides security increases, what are some of the other challenges you have to address as a race director?

32:14 What is the best part about your job?

33:47 How do you will yourself to run the course every year after the marathon is over?

36:10 How have you managed to remain fit?

37:42 Have you had to alter your training at all or just other areas of your life?

41:16 The Final Kick Round

Quotes by Dave:

“I just knew as I was running across America, going through 120 degrees in the desert, or running over the Rocky Mountains or running 50-60 miles a day, even though that might have been somewhat painful, it paled in comparison to what these kids were going through.”

“Kids ask me all the time: ‘What’s your best accomplishment?’ and I invariably say to them, ‘My best accomplishment is my next one.’”

“I help raise the level of self-esteem and self-confidence of tens of thousands of people in America”

“The toughest part about running a race is signing the application.”

“I have a button in my office that says: ‘My job’s secure; no one else wants it’.”

“The runners and race management have had to learn a whole new system. And sometimes people have a tough time with change, but eventually, after a year or two, it’s not change anymore; it’s become the norm.”

“I think the spirit from all the people who realize that good will always overcome evil has certainly been infectious for everybody.”

The best way you can show your support of the show is to share this podcast with your family and friends and share it on your Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media channel you use.

If more people who know about the podcast and download the episodes, it means I can reach out to and get through to the top running influencers, to bring them on and share their advice, which hopefully makes the show even more enjoyable for you!